Ryan

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Throw all your hell towards the heavens
Introduction

xxxxx Brash and bold and loud, Ryan has been disappeared from the world once and doesn't plan to let it happen again. He wears his notoriety like armor, a cheerfully in-your-face shield that -- doesn't, really, let him flip off the government and yell about mutant rights with impunity. But no matter how many times they throw him in jail, now, at least, they're stopping shy of outright killing him. He'll take that as a win.

Description

xxxxxTall and wiry-toned, Ryan sports grey-green eyes and a messy crop of dark hair around his deep tan face. His features are clean-cut, a strong jaw, high cheekbones, a quick and warm smile, though he breaks up his boy-next-door look with a sprinkling of piercings through ears and lip and eyebrow and a few brightly noticeable tattoos -- a weaving of branches and leaves from a ginkgo plant sleeving his right arm to the elbow, an outline of the chemical structure of adrenaline by his right wrist, a treble clef by his left.

Reputation

xxxxxAnyone who doesn't live under a rock has likely at the very least heard Ryan's name; it's quite likely they'll also find his face familiar; any amount of pop cultural OR current events knowledge whatsoever and he's readily identifiable on sight. An enormously popular star in the music world, he was wildly successful first thanks to the magic of streaming services and social media hype even before a record deal. Loudly outspoken about his queerness, about his anarchist politics, proud of his Latine heritage and vocally supportive of a range of leftist politics, his brash rebel image was a large part of his appeal with his fanbase. He was the celebrity who first made popular the "Magneto Was Right" shirts (before he was openly mutant); frequently in the news for altercations with fascists or other assorted bigots. The paparazzi likes to call him a bad boy; he says he's just passionate.

xxxxxHis debut album was met with critical acclaim and topped the charts since its release; his shows sell out routinely, and he was the second artist in history to win all the general field Grammys in a single night -- following which he outed himself as a mutant on stage in his acceptance speech in February of 2019. As the first mutant celebrity at this level of national fame in the country it's been a rocky road since then -- losing his record deal, an upcoming movie contract, venues cancelling on him left and right. Several (very public) assassination attempts both overshadowed and augmented the publicity around his withdrawal from and then return to performing.

xxxxxIn 2023 he stirred up a media furor Yet Again, this time in connection with Prometheus's return to the spotlight -- during the media spectacle around their ignominous downfall it came out that not only was Ryan an ex-inmate in the mutant experimentation labs, he had been working for a decade and a half with Jackson Holland to lead the team that liberated people from the labs. Severely injured in the publicized raid on Lassiter, he has not made much public appearance since Prometheus's downfall, though his PR team has released statements that he & his family would appreciate privacy as he recovers.

History

xxxxxRyan's life history changes blithely with the telling of it; he makes up stories both plausible and farfetched to anyone who asks much about his life. What is widely and publicly known is that he's the son of a Baptist preacher from Down South, he got his start in folk music before hitting it big.

Powers

xxxxxEmpathic audiokinesis. Generates and manipulates sound, manipulates people through sound.

Skills

xxxxxSinging, playing violin/guitar/keyboard, making a spectacle of himself, snark.

Connections

blackbirds

  • Alma - Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 (Allegro molto appassionato); calm and steady cloud-grey tempering impassioned jags of saffron.
  • B - Paganini - Caprice No. 24; A challenging tapestry of bright watery blues and earthy greens.
  • Charles - Bach - Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 (II. Largo); Grounding and poised amber, with a thrilling contrapuntal voice in royal purple.
  • Dawson - Saint-Saëns - et Rondo Capriccioso; dazzling daring amethyst.
  • Daiki - Wieniawski - Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16; Need restraint to handle azure this intense.
  • Dusk - Sibelius - Mazurka, Op. 81, No.1; An absolutely intoxicating orchid.
  • Erik - Bach - Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 (I. Vivace); Bold and daring tyrian purple, with a steady contrapuntal voice in deep amber.
  • Ion - Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26: Finale (Allegro energico); An exuberant clash of fuchsia and crimson.
  • Jax - Bartok - Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz. 112. Allegro; a vivid sunburst-ember orange firestorm.
  • Kitty - Bacewicz - Violin Concerto No. 3 (III. Vivo); expressive midnight-blue spread liberally with a fervour of bright silver.
  • Leo - Shostakovich - Concerto No. 1 in A Minor Op 77: Nocturne - Moderato; Deep sea green layered over a shift of other colors too tamped down to grasp.
  • Lucien - Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C, K551 – Jupiter; brilliant leaf green, ambitious whorls of rose.
  • Marinov - Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20; Showstopping in bold forest green & an explosion of rich wine.
  • Rasheed - Beethoven - Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 (I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto); powerful tawny-gold inextricably twined with a melancholy eggplant.
  • Scott - Bacewicz - Violin Concerto No. 7 (II. Largo); Cool slate-grey, eloquent in its austerity.
  • Scramble - Glass - Violin Concerto No. 1; an intoxicating cherry-red overload.
  • Skye - Beach - Sonata in A Minor; lively magenta and haunting indigo by turns.
  • Shane - Bach - Partita No. 2 in D Minor, Chaconne; Dramatic cobalt shot through with joyful splashes of gold.
  • Spencer - Kreisler - Tambourin chinois; a playful delight of cobalt and sunshine yellow.
  • Taylor - Falla - La vida breve / Act 2: Spanish Dance No.1; Boisterous flamingo, upbeat spring green.
  • Wendy - Boulanger - Nocturne; delicate blush-pink filled out with an intense garnet flourish.

blackguards

  • DJ - Saint-Saëns - Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 61 (I. Allegro non troppo); Lively verdant green harmonizing gracefully with a rich plum.
  • Fury - Berg - Violin Concerto (II. Allegro); Intense and violent bombast of flamingo and safety orange.
  • Hive - Saint-Saëns - Introduction; rich and plaintive in a dappled emerald and juniper.
  • Joshua - Vivaldi - Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, L'autunno (II. Adago molto); Deep shadowy sable obscuring impassioned carmine beneath.
  • Lily - Vivaldi - Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, L'inverno (III. Allegro); A precarious balance of rough bark-brown and glittering ice-blue.
  • Malthus - Bruckner - Symphony No. 7 in E Major, II. Adagio; lugubrious brown, just shy of dried blood; streaks of alabaster marbled through the cracks.
  • Matt - Mozart - Marriage of Figaro Overture, KV 492; entertaining bubblegum and lofty jungle green.
  • Polaris - Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 Finale (Allegro vivacissimo); a passionate tumult of scarlet and emerald.
  • Steve - Vittorio Monti - Csárdás; a deep and grounded navy highlit with undertones of more fiery carnelian.
Trivia
  • His fans commonly refer to themselves as Blackbirds.
    • Yes, there is no end of four-and-twenty references among individual fan groups.
    • When they're being particularly troublesome or aggressive en masse online it's also common to refer to them as Blackguards.
  • At around 90m followers on Twitter he has learned to be at least somewhat careful what he says on there so as not to send his fanbase swarming unsuspecting people.
    • The day of Captain America's coming out wasn't the first time Trump threatened him on Twitter -- that happened a couple years earlier, the day Ryan's follower count passed Trump's own.
  • Has a tattoo of the chemical structure of adrenaline near his right wrist, a treble clef near his left, and a weaving of gingko leaves and branches sleeving his right upper arm.
  • Though the full potential and range of his mutation is not known, it is well known that he can manipulate sounds and has some empathic abilities, which has lead many people to accuse him of "cheating" somehow in the music he creates or the enjoyment people get at his shows, up to and including petitions to revoke the many awards he has received.
  • Well known to be BFFs with his partner in crime Jackson Holland.
  • Well known also to have had a short-lived but widely publicized romantic relationship with Captain America.
  • There are many and frequent gossip page rumors about all the people he's probably sleeping with (generally assumed to be most anyone he'd seen hanging out with.) He generally neither confirms nor denies.
  • Known to be vegan, an anarchist, and loudly outspoken on a range of leftist issues as well as frequently throwing his monetary support behind them.
  • Despite being quite openly bisexual and speaking about it plainly on many occasions, including writing it into several songs and being very direct about dating people of all genders, media frequently refers to him as "a strong ally to the LGBT community" when he is at fundraisers, Pride events, etc.
  • During the 2020 Coronavirus epidemic, helped start and run Couchella, an online music and arts festival where people could find daily free concerts & other livestreamed entertainment events.
    • Though the epidemic has dwindled to manageable levels in NYC, Couchella is still an ongoing daily event; when he's not on the road he still MCs it frequently, although it's grown to a size that he has a whole team to help manage it now.
  • Has auditory synesthesia, which most who know him assume has to do with his mutation although the sounds-colors linkage in his brain was there long before his mutation ever manifested -- that just imposed a tactile connection on top of it as well.
  • Has very been the target of many high-profile assassination attempts since coming out as a mutant and quite a number of less well known ones -- the one that received the most press by far was a bombing at the 2019 Met Gala that killed several of his crew/band/backup dancers and nearly killed him.
  • Known to preferentially hire mutants for any position that works for him -- crew, band, bodyguards, etc; though it's harder to exclusively patronize mutant businesses for all the peripheral work associated with his music he goes out of his way to try that as well, which has directly led to a number of mutant businesses growing around the country that previously could not get off the ground.
Notable Selections from his Music!
  • No Strings - the first single of his to meet with any widespread success, kind of an angsty teen rejection of being told how to behave
  • Blackbird - a lyrical vignette about a quiet moment in the bayou and a partial inspiration for his hardcore fans' nickname for themselves
  • Enough -an angry meditation on bigotry and capitalism, very popular with leftists who haven't dumped him for being a mutant
  • Why Not Both? (feat. Halsey) - a whimsical song about being bisexual
  • See it Through (2018 album; won Grammy - Album of the Year 2019)
    • Sing me to Life - musically spectacular piece, usually what other violinists play if they like him and want to show off their skills
    • See it Through - pretty much about mutual aid and activism, was immensely popular with leftists writ large and still is to some extent
    • Brighter (Grammy - Song/Record of the Year) - basically a love song to Jax, and also very danceable
    • Disappear - angry song about losing friends and refusing to be silenced, popular with angry young mutants
    • Firefly O' Clock - ballad about simple joys and southern nights
    • Little Wonder - an ode to defiant kids, transparently about Spencer to anyone who knows him. "I blink and I miss it, just look at you go/Really little wonder, no wonder you glow"
    • On the Ball - about ballroom culture and queer families of choice, basically
    • Dreaming in the Light - actually about Prometheus, though probably not obvious to anyone who doesn't know him
    • Lost & Found - very catchy 2nd single widely regarded as not being political, contains thoughtful commentary on belonging and community. "We're never lost, we will find each other/A friend a teacher, muse or a lover"
    • Home Again - a lament for losing one family and a celebration of finding another, plays off the saying "you can never go home again".
  • Rogga (Off the soundtrack of a movie adaptation of N.K. Jemisin's "The Fifth Season") - very popular with younger mutants for its theme of defiance at oppression specifically directed toward those whose powers are feared by others. "You took me down, I wasn't alone/Our voice will shatter hearts of stone"
  • As I Am - an unapologetic defense of coming out, though it's not clear whether it's meant to be about being queer or a mutant
  • New Skin - single about the mutant experience, debuted at the Met Gala, interrupted by a bombing that reportedly killed Ryan, which has given the song a kind of cult status.
  • Growing Season (feat. Shane on violin) (theme song for a Netflix original series Garden Variety -- the show is very popular with teenagers; the song itself has gotten wildly more popular than the show did, somehow) - a sweet/catchy song about love and family and self-discovery
  • Stonewall - queer power ballad dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, makes some LG(B) assimilationists very uncomfortable
  • Save Me (feat. Shane on violin)- seems to be about superheroes but is actually about surviving the Met Gala bombing and learning to make art again (with a lot of help)
  • Stop For Death (feat. Shane on violin) (Theme song for James Bond No Time to Die movie) - total nonsense, total earworm, no one's sure what it means exactly
  • Care Less (feat. Shane on violin) - fierce, slick, danceable song that's actually about caring more
  • Safer (feat. Shane on violin) - catchy, poppy, and pretty straightforwardly about vulnerability, trauma, and consent
  • Keep Your Family Closer (feat. Shane on violin) (for the Fast and Furious 9 soundtrack) - very popular with mutants, despite not being about mutants at all
  • Shelter (feat. Shane on violin) (August 2020)
    • Blue - Seems to just be a meditation on the color blue, but is also an allegorical journey from depression into healing.
    • Winter Is - A list of cozy winter things tied together with praise about communities coming together in harsh times. Described by a critic as "a fantastic Christmas song, if it could bear to say the word Christmas" "Winter is thick socks and cocoa and song, winter is warmth in his arms/Winter is patient and quiet and strong, winter has winter's own charms"
    • In Place - First Single. About taking care of each other, structured loosely after the Prayer of Saint Francis. "I have some things that I can bring, so put me, put me in place/In place of silence let us sing, in place of darkness let us shine/We may none of us be kings, but we will surely hold the line"
    • Balm - An elegy that could be interpreted as being for anyone, slow and beautiful and poetic, but with an undercurrent of defiance.
    • In Riotous Bloom - A tale about a field of flowers in the whimsical style of "At the Zoo", but sort of poking gentle fun at leftist tendencies.
    • Shield - Isn't actually about Steve, but people protecting each other. Maybe it's a little bit about Steve.
    • Calico - A sketch of friendship and intimacy through the eyes of Cat (although it's written such that it could be any calico cat, to his friends it's obviously Cat). "Makes his tea perfectly every time/Says if you're the law then everything's crime."
    • In Tone - A very punny song about synaethesia and working together. "Melody richest violet, harmony in shades of blue/Bright beneath his fingertips, the sweetest I ever knew"
    • Zoom Out - On a superficial level, about burning out on too many video calls, but actually very much about stopping to consider the bigger picture
    • Lift Off - A poppy uplifting song about flight and falling in love.
    • Cambrian Explosion - A cute story about a (mutant?) trilobite surviving in a hostile ocean and finding others like itself.
Gallery

Ryanpeace.jpg Ryanlights.jpg Ryanbw.jpg

Montgomery Ryan Black
Ryanshades.jpg
Codename None
Birthdate August 22, 1990
Birthplace Louisiana
Species Mutant
Affiliation Mutantkind
Alignment Loud
Powers Audiokinesis/Empathy
Occupation Rock Star
Registration Status Unregistered
Played By Sebastián Yatra
RP Hooks
Notorious - Ryan isn't just famous for a mutant, he's really famous. His music and media presence has been such that most people who follow pop culture at ALL will almost certainly recognize him, and even people who don't are likely to be familiar with some of his songs.
Wild Child - Sex, drugs, rock and roll? Ryan is not above living down to some stereotypes... a lot. If you want the hookups for all the best parties or are into a wild night out, you might well run into him.
Role Model - For better or worse, often has young queer kids or Latinx kids or mutant kids excited that One Of Theirs has made it big. Very protective and solicitous of The Youth, though his advice is prooobably to be taken with a heap of salt.
...Notorious - Together with Jax has spent the past many years working to liberate other mutants from the Prometheus project, earning him an entirely different sort of reputation among those unlucky enough to have been through the labs.
A Pretty Large Target - As the first and still pretty much only truly Big Name celebrities who is openly mutant, he tends to attract... a lot of opinions, for good and, mostly, bad. Love him or hate him, think he's so brave or he's giving mutants a TERRIBLE name, want to murder him or wish he'd crawl back under a rock, people usually have SOME kind of thoughts even before they've met him!
Logs
1..5051..92(92 total)
  • (2024-03-17)
Post Hoc
  • (2024-02-13)
Heart Strings
  • (2024-02-13)
Ask For Me By Name
  • (2023-12-31)
Of Freedom and Festivals (Or, Through the Cracks)
  • (2023-11-20)
Differently Sheltered
  • (2023-09-16)
Teshuvah
  • (2023-08-22)
Agony and Ecstasy
  • (2023-08-14)
Courting Danger
  • (2023-08-13)
(Get Your) Freak Out
  • (2023-07-30)
Next Steps
  • (2023-07-28)
In Which the People Shouted, and the Trumpets Were Blown. As Soon as the People Heard the Sound of the Trumpets, They Raised a Great Shout, and the Wall Fell Down Flat; so the People Charged Straight Ahead Into the City and Captured it.
  • (2023-07-23)
Prometheus: TITANFALL - eXtermination
  • (2023-07-22)
Of Trials and Teamwork (Or, In Which Without Counsel, Plans go Wrong, but With Many Advisers They Succeed.)
  • (2023-07-07)
Prometheus: TITANFALL - Alpha
  • (2023-07-04)
Of Riots and Rethinking (Or, Best Laid Plans)
  • (2023-06-21)
The tide beats in my soul so strong that happiness breaks forth in song,
  • (2023-06-21)
Operation: S.O.L.S.T.I.C.E.
  • (2023-06-21)
Joy springs all radiant in my breast; Though pauper poor, than king more blest,
  • (2023-06-21)
And rings aloud the welkin blue With all the songs I ever knew.
  • (2023-05-13)
A Light in Dark Places
  • (2023-04-29)
In Tone
  • (2023-03-14)
The Straight Dope
  • (2023-02-21)
Plan B
  • (2023-02-19)
Split Ends
  • (2023-01-28)
In Which a Family Meeting Does Not Go As Planned and Evolve's Patrons Get Far More Than They Ordered
  • (2022-12-21)
Matt vs. the Best Laid Plans
  • (2022-03-31)
Under My Umbrella
  • (2022-03-31)
Brownie Points
  • (2022-03-10)
Again
  • (2022-03-08)
Purity of Purpose
  • (2021-11-29)
Madness That Way Lies
  • (2021-11-11)
The Devil You Know
  • (2021-10-16)
Rocking Out (Prometheus Raid, Team 2)
  • (2021-10-15)
Exchange Rate
  • (2021-09-27)
Queer Vegan Discourse Goat Cult
  • (2021-09-17)
A Bird In The Hand
  • (2021-06-26)
Personal Appearance Code
  • (2021-01-19)
Brunch Bunch
  • (2021-01-02)
Flighty Subject
  • (2020-12-29)
No Place In Heaven
  • (2020-12-12)
Unearned Luck
  • (2020-11-04)
So Much More
  • (2020-10-23)
Moving Targets
  • (2020-10-20)
Calculated Risks
  • (2020-10-17)
I Was Born Sick, But I Love It
  • (2020-10-16)
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.
  • (2020-10-13)
Missing Halves
  • (2020-09-17)
Undone
  • (2020-09-11)
Unique Perspective
  • (2020-09-10)
Haring Off
1..5051..92(92 total)
Archived Logs
  • (2018-06-07)
Better Alive
  • (2017-12-19)
Deep Fried Miracles
  • (2017-11-27)
Real Winter
  • (2017-09-08)
Mutants of Late Capitalism
  • (2017-08-28)
No Shoes
  • (2017-08-27)
Unready
  • (2017-08-24)
Small Mercies
  • (2017-08-22)
Incognito, Ergo Sum
  • (2017-08-21)
Pregaming
  • (2017-08-20)
Wide Range
  • (2017-08-13)
Selective Memory
  • (2017-08-11)
Disarmed
  • (2017-05-18)
Be Controversial
  • (2015-01-02)
Egg
  • (2014-07-23)
Tick, Tick, Boom
  • (2014-07-02)
Triaging
  • (2014-06-11)
All Shapes
  • (2014-01-26)
Vignette - Big Four
  • (2014-01-06)
Some Comfort
  • (2013-10-16)
Mess
  • (2013-09-12)
Horus 2.0
  • (2013-08-21)
Toy Soldiers
  • (2013-07-04)
Fourth of July, Adult-side
  • (2013-06-09)
Gathering Dusk
  • (2013-06-02)
Embellishments
  • (2013-05-31)
The Dance
  • (2013-05-26)
Fire Ants and Firelight
  • (2013-05-15)
Updates
  • (2013-04-14)
Augustus
  • (2013-03-20)
Practical Considerations
  • (2013-03-19)
Prison Break
  • (2013-03-17)
Hammertime
  • (2013-03-15)
Physical Therapy
  • (2013-03-12)
Patchwork
  • (2013-03-12)
Loving Reunion
  • (2013-03-12)
Brains, Brains, I Won't Lie...
  • (2013-03-10)
Refugee Camp
  • (2013-03-07)
Pit Stop, Store-side
  • (2013-03-07)
Carnage (Prometheus Raid, Team 1)